Carton-making machine



"may 5, 1925.

W. D. KIMBALL ET AL CARTON MAKING MACHINE Filed July '7, 1922 INVENTOR U. f M a. W

A TTORNE Y length of the sheet at each Patented May 5,. 1925.

UNITED STATES" WALLACE D. KIMBALL AND ARTHUR E. RIDEOUT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS PXA'TENT' o- FICE.

TO STANDARD SEALING EQUIPMENT CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A COR- PORATION OF NEW YORK.

CARTON MAKIN G MACHINE.

Application filed July 7,

To (171 whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WALLACE D. KIM- BALL and ARTHUR E. Rrnnoo'r, both citizens of the United States, residing, respectively,

5 at the city, county, and State of New York,

' sition, or similar material, and relates particularly to the operation of foldingand flattening the initial sheet of material out of which the carton is to be formed.

Cartons made of fiber composition or like material have substantially replaced wood boxes or other of the more expensive containers formerly employed in transportation of canned goods and similar products, such as condensed milk, canned fruits, soap and the like, which are delivered to the consumer in small individual packages and are packed for transportatlon in containers holding a considerable number of the smaller individual packages. After the goods are put up in their individual containers at the factory, the containers are packed into the shipping cartons and the cartons subsequently sealed or otherwise put into condition to withstand the rough usage encountered during transportation. Large shipping houses employ cartons of this type in quantity, and it is essential-that the method of manufacturing them be of such nature that the cartons may be turned out rapidly and at a very low cost for each carton.

A carton is completely formed from an initial sheet of the fiber composition cut to the proper dimensions. It is common practice for the large users of these cartons to form the finished carton in their factory, but the distributors of the carton making material do not usually deliver the sheets in their initial conditions but cause them to be told ed together by bending over a quarter of the end and folding down the portion thus bent over flat against the face of the remaining portion of the sheet. The meeting edges of the folded por- 1922. Serial, No. 573,258.

tions are joined together by means of a of strong adhesive tape. shipped in this manner, and the cartonis subsequently formed out of this piece by properly cutting and bending it into shape.

Heretofore difficulty has been encountered in properly bending over the ends of the sheet of fiber composition and applying the tape .to hold the parts in correct relative position. The lines along which the folds are to take place .are commonly scored or indented by means of rapidly rotating Wheels under which the fiber sheet is moved, and the ends of-the sheet subsequently bent over along the scoring thus formed. The scoring must necessarily be of some width to prevent the cutting of the fiber sheet, and we have found that when the end portions of the sheet are folded up the break does strip The material is not occur in a uniform line but varies over the entire width of the scoring and consequently necessitates a considerable expenditure of time in pressing and. pounding the folded edge of the sheet into proper condition. The operation of forming this fold is extremely tedious and for this reason is often improperly done. The sheets after being folded in this manner are commonly stacked and conveyed to a taping machine where a strip of adhesive tape is applied to the meeting edges of the folded portions to hold them in shape. tation between the foldingand shaping processes the flaps often become misplaced and out of alignment so that they are either improperly joined by the tape or require considerable attention to straighten them out before application of the tape.

It is a principal object of this invention to provide an apparatus which positively locates the break in the initial fiber sheet in proper fashion so that the fold may be formed accurately and in a minimum of time, and which maintains the folded sheet in proper condition until the tape has been applied to the adjacent edges of the folded portions.

It is a further object to provide an apparatus of the above type in which the folding and taping operations are completely ac complished in a single machine, all or any During the transporautomatic means as desired, and in apparatus embodying our invention;

which'each operation is rapidly'and accurately performed so that plain fiber sheets may be fed into the apparatus in close succession and folded pieces of uniform character will be discharged in condition for transportation.

. It is also an object to provide an apparatusof this type which is applicable to produce folded sheets for use in the manufacture of different sized cartons inasmuch as the distance between the folds in the sheet is readily adjustable.

In carrying out our invention the fiber composition sheets are scored in the ordinary manner along approximately the lines at which it is desired to fold the material. The exact line along which the sheet will fold is then determined.

This can be conveniently accomplished by the bringing of a ri id face into adjacent relation with the portion of the sheet at which the fold is to occur, the rigid face preferably being a metallic member properly shaped and mounted to accomplish the purpose. The breaking may then be accomplished manually, if desired, but We prefer to provide automatic means for folding over the end portions of the sheet and guiding them in such manner that the folded portions will be in proper alignment when pressed flat against the remaining portion of the sheet. The folded sheet is then passed on to a taping mechanism, the folded portions of the sheet being automatically held in proper relation during the transportation so that no displacement or misalignment will occur. The tape may be applied by hand and smoothed into position by manual or automatic means as desired, after which the article is ready for shipment.

e have illustrated an embodiment of our invention in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view showin an 1g. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken longitudinally of the apparatus; and Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view showing a portion of the apparatus.

We have illustrated in the drawings an apparatus constructed as a single unit which is adapted to receive the initial plain sheet of the carton forming material and perform all the necessary operations upon this sheet during its passage through the machine, so

that a finished product ready for shipment is discharged from the latter end of the apparatus. The sheet is first scored along the lines where the folds are to occur, the operation of bending up and folding over the end portions of the sheet is then accomplished, and finally the meeting edges of the folded portions of the sheet are taped in position. The scoring mechanism comprises scoring wheels 1 having a circumferential ridge or tongue to produce the desired indentation in the'fiber sheet. A second set of scoring wheels 2 is provided at the opposite side of the fiber sheet, and these wheels are formed in such manner as to be complementary to the tongues provided on the scoring wheels 1. The initial sheet of fiber composition is placed in the apparatus in the position shown by the sheet of material indicated at A. Guides 3 for roperly positioning the fiber sheets laterally of the apparatus are preferably provided, these guides being spring pressed by means of coil springs 1 reacting against a ortion of the frame 5 as shown. The gui es 3 may be provided on both sides of the apparatus or on only one side as desired and in case two such guides are provided as shown it is desirable that at least one of them be yieldingly mounted in order to accommodateslight variations in length of thestrips without causing buckling. The sheet is next moved into the position indicated at B, in which position it is subjected to the action of the scoring wheels and is moved along by the action of the wheels. The scoring wheels 1 and 2 are commonly motor driven through a suitable pulley arrangement, as indicated at 6. While we have illustrated the scoring mechanism as comprising a part of our apparatus, this operation may be carried out equally well in a separate apparatus, or, in fact, in certain instances the sheets may be admitted to our folding and taping apparatus without being previously scored. The provision of an apparatus which does not comprise the scoring mechanism in particularl advantageous for installation in esta lishments which are already equipped with apparatus for scoring the fiber sheets but where the folding and taping operations have heretofore been done by hand. For this reason we prefer in many instances to omit the scoring mechanism from our apparatus.

After issuing from the action of the scoring wheels 1 and 2, after coming from a separate scoring mechanism, the fiber sheets are advanced into our folding apparatus to the position indicated at C. In this position the sheet C is subjected to the action of a pair of guides or knives 7 which are positioned to lie flat along the surface of the fiber sheet as shown. The guides 7 are spaced so that their outer edges is exactly equal to the desired distance between the fold lines of the fiber sheet. The outer edges of the guides 7 are straight and smooth, and when pressed firmly against the fiber sheet they accurately determine the fold lines and insure uniform bending of the material along this line when the ends of the fiber sheet are folded over.

The bending up of the end portions of the fiber sheet may be accomplished manually, in which case the operators would grasp the end portions of the sheet and bend them over against the coacting edges of the guide 7 and then press them flat against the body portion of the sheet. \Ve have here shown, somewhat diagrammatically, a mechanism by'which the bending up of the end portions of the sheet may be accomplished. The mechanism shown comprises a pair of bending members or cams 8, best shown in Fig. 3, which members may be raised vertically to bend up the end portions of the flaps into the vertical position shown in dotted lines. The movement of the member 8 is controlled by anactuating lever 9. The vertically extending portions of the sheet are then bent over into a horizontal position until they lie flat against the remaining portion of the sheet. If desired, it is evident that appropriate mechanism may be devised to accomplish this bending operation by :fitomatic means. The guides 7 are mounted upon a transverse rod and are adjustable so that they may be spaced at different widths by merelyloosening the set screws 21 and sliding the guides along the length of the rod 20.

In addition to providing means for bend ing up the end portions of the fiber sheet we preferably provide guides which insure proper positioning of the folded portions. An actuating lever 10 serves to control a set of vertically extending guides 11 which may be made to protrude above the part of the machine on which the fiber sheet is supported. These guides 11 serve as a stop to check the movement of the sheet through the apparatus, and at thesame time serve as means for guiding the folded end por-- tions of the sheet into proper alignment when they are brought down fiat against the body portion of the sheet. This prevents the edges or corners of the folded portions from jogging over the corresponding edge of the remaining portion of the sheet. For the purpose of properly positioning the meeting edges of the folded portions a guide 12 is provided and may be shaped so that its sides are curved, as shown in Fig. 3, to roughly correspond to the arc of the circle on which the end portions of the sheet are folded. The lower edge of the guide 12 is thinso that when the end portions of the sheet are folded fiat into position the adjacent edges substantially meet butare pre-' vented from overlapping by the intervening edge of the guide. This guide 12, in conjunction with the side guides 11, insures proper positioning of the fold line. If desired, a straight piece may be substituted for the curved guide 12 with satisfactory results.

After the fiber sheet has been folded as shown and described the vertical guides 11 are depressed below the supporting bed of the machine, and the folded sheet is passed on into some such position as indicated at nism these guides serve to retain the folded portions into position and afford opportunity for the tape to be applied, inasmuch as a suflicient space is left open along the meeting edges to receive a width of tape.

The taping operation may be carried outin any desired manner, but is conveniently accomplished by mounting a strip serving machine of any well known type in proximity to the apparatus, as indicated at 17.

The operator can then withdraw a strip of tape of the proper length from the serving machine 17 and apply it to the meeting edges of the folded portions when the fiber sheet is in some such position as indicated at E. After. applying the tape the operator smooths it in position, and if this pressing and smoothing operation is properly performed the sheet will be discharged from the apparatus ready for shipment. However, we preferably provide automatic tape smoothing and pressing means which may conveniently comprise a revolving brush 18 mounted on the motor driven shaft 19 and positioned so that it will contact with the strip of tape when the fiber sheet is moved under it as indicated at F. The brush 18 is revolved at a relatively high speed so that it will exert a Wiping action on the tape and serve to smooth it thoroughly into contact with the fiber sheet. After issuing from the tape smoothing mechanism the folded sheets are packed for transportation.

From the foregoing illustration and description it will be evident that the invention contemplates the provision of ready means for quickly forming a. clean bend in the fiber sheet during the folding operation, which bend occursalong an accurately predetermined line. After the sheet has been folded and the folded portions accurately positioned with respect to the body portion of the sheet, the folded portions are secured in their position in order to afford ample opportunity for application of the tape. The entire sequence of operations may be accomplished accurately and readily in a single apparatus.

The apparatus which has been illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the specification is to be regarded as merely illustrative of the invention, and variations and changes from the structure shown can be accomplished without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, a

completely automatic device may readily be provided by arranging suitable driving mechanism and control apparatus to insure proper sequence of the various operations. The folding of the flaps may be accomplished entirely or partly by automatic means, or may be done manually as desired. Further changes and. modifications may be made within'the full scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Apparatus of the class described comprising means for scoring the material to be folded, a. member for fixing the fold line in the material along the scored portion, means for positively folding over accurately along said line the entire portion to be folded, whereby a straight line at a predetermined position within the scored portion is obtained, and guides for directing the movement subsequent of the folded portion.

2. Apparatus of the class described comprising a member for fixing the fold line in the material, means whereby the material may be folded along said line, a guide for preventing late'ral displacement of the folded portions, and a guide for properly locating the adjacent ends of the folded portions. 3. Apparatus of the class described comprising a member for fixing the fold line in the material so that the adjacent ends of the folded portions will substantially meet, means whereby the material may be folded, guides for preventing lateral displacement of the folded portions, and a guide for preventing overlapping of the meeting ends of said folded portions.

4. Apparatus of the class described com prising members for accurately fixing the two fold lines within the scored portion of the material, means for positively bending over the material against said member to insure folding of the material along the lines determined by said members, and means for positively guiding the folded portions into proper position on the body of the sheet with their adjacent edges substantially abuttin 5% Apparatus of the class described comprising members for fixing the'fold lines in the material, means whereby the material may be brou ht to rest adjacent said members and folfed along said lines, guides for directing movement of the folded. portions to bring the adjacent ends thereof into evenly abutting relation throughout their entire width, means whereby said folded material may be advanced away from said guides,

and means for maintaining said material in its folded condition leaving the adjacent edges of said folded portions exposed whereby tape may be' applied to said adjacent edges, and mechanism for smoothing said tape in place.

7. Apparatus of the class described comprising members for fixing the fold lines in the material, means whereby the material may be folded along said lines, guides for directing the movement of the folded portions, m'eans'whereby said folded material may be advanced away from said guides, and means for maintaining said material in its folded condition, said' means comprising members'bearing along the folded portions adjacent their meeting ends to leave said meeting ends exposed.

8-. Apparatus of the class described comprising members for accurately fixing the fold lines in the material, means for positively bending the material against said member to insure folding of the material along the lines determined by said members, a centrally disposed guide for properly positioning the meeting edges of the folded portions laterally of the apparatus, guides for properly positioning the folded portions of the material longitudinally of the apparatus, and 'means for depressing said guides beneath the fiber sheet.

9. Apparatus of the class described consisting of a single unit comprising means for scoring the material, means for positively determining the fold line in the material, means whereby the material may be folded, means for maintaining said material in its folded position, means whereby tape may be applied to the adjacent edges of the folded portions, the sheet of material being inserted in the apparatus, advanced successively through said scoring means, through the folding means, and through said tape applying means, the material issuing at the end of the apparatus in condition for shipment.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

WALLACE D. KIMBALL. ARTHUR E. RIDEOUT. 

